Rumours and Stuff

[lucablight]

Do you really think we should get into a bidding war with desperate clubs?

Most merkins on here have shit canned the club for paying overs in the past.

I would have loved to have kept him but not at the expense of the entire squad.

The evidence seems to suggest that we refused to pay Mahoney what he was worth rather than the Bulldogs paying an exhorbitant amount. There wasn’t necessarily a need for a bidding war.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Of course Wayne Bennnett is on record as saying he would never offer above 500k to props but decides to go nuclear when it comes to stealing one of ours.

He said that back when the game was very different. Last time he won a premiership his best players were his fullback and centres. In 2021 these merkins are premiers:

1. Edwards
3. Momirovski
4. Burton

The game has changed, but also there are different ways to play it. Neither grand final team would've had a big money prop. I actually think we have too much money tied up in the pack. It would be better spent on a gamebreaker at fullback or the halves, plus a powerful winger who can give us 20+ carries so our forwards can focus on defence.

 

[Gary Gutful]

Very disingenuous of you to say I’m coming to this conclusion without a shred of proof. There are multiple news stories that are reporting how much Mahoney was offered and the amounts are not unreasonable at all. I’m assuming you believe the reports of Papali’i and Leilua getting their 600k and 700k contracts so why are you using a different standard here?
There’s also an independent source in the tweet from TCT guy who said we expected him to stay until today.
I also heard the former CEO in an interview talk about how the Eels were very confident in keeping the players they’d want to keep because Parramatta is seen as an attractive destination. Clubs generally don’t lose their star players on the rise unless they’re a poorly run club or they get squeezed out due to cap pressure.
So what’s more likely? That the Eels got blown out of the water by Canterburys offer but thought he was going to stay until today? Or that they lowballed Mahoney and he signed with the Bulldogs?
I’m saying the Bulldogs probably did offer more but they offered him closer to what he is worth rather than our offer.

When exactly are you planning to provide proof?

 

[Chipmunk]

If a player we have developed, who came to us as nothing, would rather play for our most hated rivals for the same coin he can get from us - then his heart and mind are not with our club.

But he wasn't offered the same coin. They're giving him a $100k more a season. Would you not take the deal?

 

[Eelementary]

I’m aware it’s archaic, but good culture and passion for your jersey makes moving to your current clubs bitter rivals harder.

if you look at the 120+ year history of Liverpool and Man Utd in the EPL, a competition where players transfer constantly and loyalty is extremely rare - only 8 players who played for Liverpool have ever then pulled on a United shirt, and of that only 5 of them were direct transfers from one club to another - the last one being 83 years ago. Why? Because the culture is if you’re a red, you hate Man U. It’s ingrained. Even for players who only spend a season or two at Liverpool.

Tbh, all those players are doing is limiting their options.

I get that passion for our club is nice and all, but the players are mercenaries - they're loyal to the almighty dollar.

Case in point, Reed Mahobey, and Isaiah Papali'i - Arthur developed them into great players, but they chose to take the money.

It happens.

 

[the phantom menace]

In a sense Mahoney's departure is kind of Gutho's fault, because he pissed around and took so long mid-season before only recently re-signing. In theory we could have had these guys locked up before Gus was even at Canterbury if Gutho showed some f**king common sense and loyalty earlier on.

 

[Gary Gutful]

The evidence seems to suggest that we refused to pay Mahoney what he was worth rather than the Bulldogs paying an exhorbitant amount. There wasn’t necessarily a need for a bidding war.

Who decides what he is worth? You?

 

[Gary Gutful]

Arthur developed them into great players

No he didn't.

 

[Eelogical]

By that I mean I shit myself...

We assumed that, Gary Pantsful. Do you think that some of us on here are stupid?

 

[Gary Gutful]

He said that back when the game was very different. Last time he won a premiership his best players were his fullback and centres. In 2021 these merkins are premiers:

1. Edwards
3. Momirovski
4. Burton

The game has changed, but also there are different ways to play it. Neither grand final team would've had a big money prop. I actually think we have too much money tied up in the pack. It would be better spent on a gamebreaker at fullback or the halves, plus a powerful winger who can give us 20+ carries so our forwards can focus on defence.

Yep. There is only so many times you can watch a powerful pack dominate and the rest of the team fumble around and not take advantage.

 

[the phantom menace]

I guess getting Ennis on board as a consultant kind of backfired... I wonder can we cut that f**kwit loose when Mahoney leaves as well?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Reality is that they don't really lose the ones they want to keep. Eg.
This year JAC - wanted to move back to Sydney
Dale Finucane - retirement at sharks...has done his time
Hynes - wasnt going to play 2nd fiddle to Papenhuysen.
Whereas with us the blokes we are losing are on the up or in Nuikore's case is going home.
If the difference has been $50 or $100k per season to keep your more elite players then they have made a meal of it...the core group of players have remained with Melbourne for years.
Our club even did some analysis and used Melb as the test case where it concluded u need to keep in particular your 1, 6, 7 and 9...to remain successful
Melb have always been ok to let wingers and centres go BUT they have always replaced quickly and in some cases better versions of...

Melbourne have let plenty of spine players go in recent years. What they do is keep the leadership group together. For us this doesn't include Niukore, Papali'i or Mahoney. It does include Gutherson and Paulo. It is tempting to focus on retaining youth, but what if it costs you your leaders? I think the club would suffer worse, because leadership is how you turn nuffies into the next Niukore, Papali'i or Mahoney.

 

[Gary Gutful]

We assumed that, Gary Pantsful. Do you think that some of us on here are stupid?

Yes.

 

[hindy111]

He said that back when the game was very different. Last time he won a premiership his best players were his fullback and centres. In 2021 these merkins are premiers:

1. Edwards
3. Momirovski
4. Burton

The game has changed, but also there are different ways to play it. Neither grand final team would've had a big money prop. I actually think we have too much money tied up in the pack. It would be better spent on a gamebreaker at fullback or the halves, plus a powerful winger who can give us 20+ carries so our forwards can focus on defence.

The vicous fish and Yeo are middles. Both on big $$

 

[lucablight]

He said that back when the game was very different. Last time he won a premiership his best players were his fullback and centres. In 2021 these merkins are premiers:

1. Edwards
3. Momirovski
4. Burton

The game has changed, but also there are different ways to play it. Neither grand final team would've had a big money prop. I actually think we have too much money tied up in the pack. It would be better spent on a gamebreaker at fullback or the halves, plus a powerful winger who can give us 20+ carries so our forwards can focus on defence.

The point is that he didn’t want to spend a large proportion of the cap on a prop at the time. 800k on a prop now would still be going against that thinking. I’m sure JFH wouldn’t be cheap. He’s one of the premier props in the game.

 

[lucablight]

Who decides what he is worth? You?

Are you not capable of using your brain? If I said to you that we signed James Tedesco for 50k would you be able to figure out by yourself that he’s not being paid what he’s worth?

 

[Gary Gutful]

Yep. There is only so many times you can watch a powerful pack dominate and the rest of the team fumble around and not take advantage.

'Are', not 'is', deadshit.

 

[Someone2]

Wanted to keep Mahoney but he didn’t seem yo really fit in with the other guys
when ever Gutho ,brown or Moses were interviewed after a match they would always praise the other 2players and not really mention Mahoney .
than interviewers would ask “mahoney is in great forum what are your thoughts? They just reply with a he’s just doing he’s job what he’s been told to do and not give him any real credit

you’d never see laughing joking around with the other players

 

[Gary Gutful]

Are you not capable of using your brain? If I said to you that we signed James Tedesco for 50k would you be able to figure out by yourself that he’s not being paid what he’s worth?

Except that extremely stupid example doesn't exist. Try again.

 

[Someone2]

Don’t know why the players are signing so early this year especially with a new team coming you’s think they wait till the middle of next year or at least February way to early to have 3players already signed else where